Cover Girl
by Ampersand Ellipsis
Summary: With patience, weeks of planning and hours of effort, Ginny transforms Hermione for the Yule Ball.
1. Chapter 1

This fic was inspired by two other fantastic fics at FictionAlley.

The first one, "High-heeled Shoes" by Agape, has the BEST line ("Hermione had found herself gravitating toward the cosmetics shelves more and more lately, and it worried her.").

The second one, "Glamour Girls" by Luckynumber, teams an unlikely pair (Eloise Midgen and Millicent Bulstrode) glamming-up in the girls' bathroom.

While my fic isn't necessarily "funny" I thought it was really fun and had a blast writing it.

I hope you like it!

X-X-X

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled, her voice echoing loudly through the girl's stairwell as she ran to the top. "Where are you?"

Ginny's red hair appeared first, pulled on top of her head into a large, sloppy bun. Her face followed shortly after, green and stiff. "What is it Hermione?" she asked in a pinched voice. "I'm giving myself a facial."

Hermione, breathless, grabbed Ginny by the shoulders. "He did it," she whispered wildly.

If Ginny's face mask had allowed, she would have frowned. Instead she opted for rolling her eyes. "Who did wha--" she stopped abruptly, her eyes wide and focused on Hermione's flushed face. "You mean…?"

Hermione nodded and bit her lip. Suddenly the two girls let out ear-piercing screams, holding each other and jumping up and down in the hallway. Soon, doors were opening along the corridor, girls coming out in various stages of Saturday morning dress to look at the two celebrants.

One girl, her black hair already sleek and shiny, and make-up expertly applied, leaned against the wall and said loudly, "That's an invite to the Yule Ball if I ever saw one!"

Hermione and Ginny grinned at her happily and ran into Ginny's room, slamming the door behind them.

"OK," said Ginny, her voice back to normal as her mask had cracked in the excitement. "Here's what we need to do." She kneeled down next to her bed, threw open her trunk and started piling glossy magazines on the floor next to her. "Here's Witch Weekly's 'Best dressed of 1994,' The Daily Prophet's Annual 'Who's Who in Fashion' and The Quibbler's 'Color Me a Soulmate Guide to Your Best Colors.'" She looked at her pile and said, almost as an afterthought, "Oh and we have to see Madam Malkin."

"But I didn't sign up for Madam Malkin," Hermione moaned. She thought sadly of the other girls who would be standing in line on the day Dumbledore had assigned for Madam Malkin to visit Hogwarts for fittings.

Ginny threw Witch Weekly's thick edition at her and said, "Our appointments with Madam Malkin this afternoon are at 2:00 and 2:15."

Hermione blinked and said, "Wait. This afternoon? But how did you know I would even go?"

Ginny grinned and said, "Oh, like there was ever a doubt?"

Hermione blushed and said, "You're a lifesaver, Ginny!" She checked her watch. It was 9:30 AM. "Well, what are we going to do until then?"

Ginny's already cracked face cracked farther as her mouth dropped open. "Are you serious? We've got less than 2 weeks! Every moment counts!" She strode purposefully across the room and grabbed a bright pink jar, opening it and smearing some of the contents onto Hermione's left cheek. Hermione ran into the wall trying to get away from Ginny.

"What are you doing?!" she shrieked as she wiped it off.

"Hey!" Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and spread it on the other cheek. "Do you know how much that costs?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose and said, "Well save it for yourself, then."

Ginny sighed heavily and said with forced patience, "Sweetie, your face isn't gonna clear itself up."

"What's wrong with my face?" Hermione asked angrily.

Ginny smiled a pitiful smile and said, "Nothing overall, but some proper exfoliation, moisturizing and foundation definitely won't hurt."

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "You're right, Ginny. I'm hopeless. I don't know the first thing about any of this. Two weeks won't be enough time." Tears began running down her face, dripping green trails onto her black school robes.

Ginny reached forward and pulled Hermione into a hug. "Don't you worry, love. I'm going to take care of every last detail. Victor won't know what to do with himself when he sees what I've done with you."

Hermione sniffed and pulled back, digging in her pocket for a handkerchief. She smiled at Ginny through her tears. "OK," she said. "I'm ready."

"Excellent," Ginny replied, reminding Hermione strikingly of Fred and George.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Hermione thought with trepidation.


	2. Chapter 2

Hours later, Hermione was standing in line in the foyer outside the Great Hall waiting for her turn to be fitted by Madam Malkin. She had had her pores steamed, her face exfoliated and her eyebrows plucked. Her entire face was quite pink and very tender and she was exhausted.

"Don't touch it!" Ginny said as she smacked Hermione's hand away from her face for the third time in 10 minutes.

"But it hurts," Hermione said, a little whiny. "When does that go away?"

"I told you," Ginny explained. "If you had been a little more cooperative and held still I would have had time to apply the cool towels. As it is," Ginny looked at her watch, "we're lucky she's running over."

At that moment, a small, harried-looking man with thick glasses and a clipboard opened the door. "Weasley, Ginny!" he called.

"My turn!" Ginny said happily and hurried forward, disappearing into the room.

Hermione stood nervously against the wall, grateful that she could lean against it. Sooner than she expected, the door opened again and the man reappeared. "Granger, Hermione!"

"Oh!" Hermione said in shock and her mind went immediately numb. Luckily the girl behind her gave her a shove and she felt herself moving towards the small man. He shuffled her into the room and onto a round platform. Madam Malkin appeared quickly beside her and began circling her with a tape measure, lifting her arms occasionally and calling out numbers to the man.

When she had made her final measurement, the man pulled Hermione off the pedestal and shoved a pile of small items into her arms. "Now be sure to send me your fabric and shade choices before next Saturday so I can get it to you by Christmas Eve," Madam Malkin called to her.

Hermione nodded, her arms full of swatches of material and booklets sprouting every imaginable color. She stumbled back into the foyer and looked around desperately for Ginny. She found her talking excitedly to a group of fellow third years. Hermione sidled up to her and whispered, "I'm going upstairs, Ginny. I'll see you later."

Ginny reached out and grabbed Hermione's arm, causing her to let out a small squeak and drop all of her items. "Oh no you aren't," she said forcefully. She turned back to her other friends and said, "I'll see you later." Bending down to pick up the dropped booklets, Ginny looked up at Hermione and asked, "Don't you still want to do this?"

Hermione thought of all the pain she had felt in the last several hours, looked at the seemingly endless number of colors to choose from and stopped on Ginny's eager face.

"I honestly don't know," she said in a small voice. Tears began to well up in her eyes again.

Sensing her friend was about to have another breakdown, Ginny steered Hermione out the front doors and onto the vast lawn surrounding the castle. When she got to the edge of the lake, she conjured a bench, sat her down and settled next to her. She let her sniffling calm down before saying, "Come on, Hermione. Is it really that hard?"

"I don't know!" Hermione said hysterically. "I know we only have two weeks to do this properly, but I've still got a whole week left of classes and I look at all of these fabrics and colors and hairstyles and I can't breathe or think… my mind goes blank. It's worse than that boggart last year!"

At this Ginny burst out laughing. This only seemed to upset Hermione even more. Her face flushed a deeper shade of pink and she said wildly, "It's not funny! I can't even let myself think about Viktor! What if he wants to hold my hand? What if he tries to kiss me? I don't know how to dance! What if I throw up on him?"

Ginny was quiet for a few minutes, thinking hard. _I've got to get her to relax somehow_, she told herself. Suddenly an idea came to her. "Hermione," she said, "how many times have you read 'Hogwarts, a History'?"

This seemed to focus her immediately. "Straight through?" Hermione asked. "Only about four times, I think, though if you count re-readings of specific sections, it could be dozens…"

"And why would you do that?" Ginny interrupted.

"Are you kidding?" Hermione actually laughed. "It's fascinating! You probably couldn't understand because you grew up around it, but when I found out I was a witch, literally a whole new world was opened to me! I had years to catch up on and so many things to learn! I read everything I could and studied it like mad so that I could really feel like I understood what was going on around--" Abruptly she stopped what she was saying and her eyes glazed over as she stared unseeingly out across the lake. Slowly her eyes came back into focus and she said, a determined look on her face, "You know Ginny, you're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for. Where are those magazines you had earlier?"

"That's my girl," Ginny said happily. "I knew you'd come around. Now let's go upstairs and really get to work!"


	3. Chapter 3

The last five days of term were difficult for Hermione. Between classes and at each meal, Ginny found her, trailing fabric swatches and showing her another bewitched photo of her wearing a different hairstyle. Though she had made the decision that she was going to give it her all, she still had a hard time digesting so much at once.

It wasn't just enough to pick the fabric of the robe she wanted (she had finally decided on a light, floaty material to keep her cool), but each color—according to Ginny— said something different. Did she want to be sexy (red) or sweet (blush)? Did she want to dazzle (emerald green) or amaze (sapphire blue)? In the end Ginny had decided on a soft periwinkle-blue, saying it complimented her skin tone best.

Plus, each time she tried to concentrate on what was being said in class, or to take notes, her mind kept wandering to back Viktor. What would he be wearing? Would he try to kiss her? She shivered when she thought about how his breath tickled her ear whenever he leaned in to talk to her, which he had been doing more and more lately.

During one particularly boring History of Magic class she had found her imagination wandering to what it would be like to have Viktor's arms around her. She was rudely interrupted when Ron gave her a poke and hissed, "Shouldn't you be taking notes?" She blushed furiously, momentarily nervous that he could read her thoughts, before shaking her head and shoving her quill and parchment into his hands.

Late on Saturday afternoon, she and Ginny sat in the Common Room discussing hairstyles for the umpteenth time that day.

"Maybe if we just tried to shape the curls a little more, rather than actually restraining them?" Ginny said.

Hermione, who had spent the week observing the make-up and hairstyles of the girls around her said, "I really like that girl's hair down the hall, the one with the long, black hair. What's her name?"

"Romilda Vane?"

"Yes, her! Her hair is so perfectly straight and almost silky, isn't it? If mine could be half as well-behaved, I'd be happy."

"She spends more time staring at Harry than I do," Ginny said huffily, "but I see your point. Her hair _is_ beautiful." Ginny reached over into her bag and pulled out a small bottle. "Mum sent me this this morning. 'Sleek-Eazy.' I've never heard of it, but it might be worth a try."

Hermione squinted at the purple bottle skeptically, but said, "At this point, I'm willing to try anything."

Ginny took a critical look at Hermione's hair before saying, "Although, if we actually _do_ manage to straighten it, it's going to be awfully long. We don't want you competing with Phlegm now, do we? We might want to go back to some of those up-dos."

Before they went down to dinner, Ginny took Hermione back up to her room. She rummaged around in her trunk until she found what she was looking for. She handed Hermione a bright yellow bag.

Hermione took the bag and asked, "What on earth is this?"

"That," Ginny said, "is what you need to finish getting ready. Your face is as clear as I think we're going to get it—though you were never anywhere near as bad as poor Eloise. So now we need to focus on your hands and feet. I'll give you a manicure and pedicure the morning of the Yule Ball, but it'll take a few days to get them ready."

She opened the bag and pulled out fuzzy blue socks and matching gloves. "Use these each night when you go to bed. Wash and dry your hands and feet, then rub a thick coating of lotion into them. Then put these socks and gloves on. They'll be soft before you know it."

"And my make-up?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, we're going to start on that tomorrow morning. It may take a couple of days to get it just right, but now that we've got so much in place, I want to take our time."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. Ginny had been anything but leisurely this week.

Ginny laughed at the look on her friend's face. "Stress causes you to retain water and I want your face to be nice, smooth and fluid-free when I apply everything."

Hermione laughed in spite of herself. She grabbed Ginny in a tight hug and said, "I know I haven't been easy this week, but you know I appreciate every last second you've taken on me, right?"

"Of course I do, love," Ginny said kindly. "And I hope you know that everything I've done to you has been out of love."

Hermione nodded her head into Ginny's shoulder.

"You're like the sister I never had!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

At this both of them collapsed on top of Ginny's trunk, laughing and crying until their grumbling stomachs forced them downstairs to the Great Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Even though Ginny had told her the night before that they would not be starting until after breakfast, Hermione woke up the morning of the Yule Ball just as the sun was rising. Her stomach gurgled nervously as she thought about what would be happening in just a few hours. She was drained and anxious. Ginny had been so willing to help and yet she still felt that all the effort hadn't helped at all. Each day she looked at herself and didn't see a change. Could it be possible that it was all for nothing?

A long while later, Ginny bounded happily into the room. "Today's the day!" she sang out to no one in particular. She stopped for a moment and frowned at Hermione, her hands on her hips. "Sweet Merlin! Why are you crying?"

Hermione rolled over and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She sat up and looked at Ginny forlornly. "Are you sure I'm ready for this?" she asked pitifully.

Ginny's face flushed beet red and she gave Hermione a hard look. When she spoke, it was in the same deadly whisper Hermione had heard Mrs. Weasley use when pronouncing a particularly harsh warning. "I thought we'd been over all of this, Hermione Jean Granger. You don't have to cooperate, but understand this: You _will_ be gorgeous and you _will_ enjoy yourself this evening. Have I made myself clear?"

Struck by the absurdity of the moment, Hermione burst out laughing. And as she held her sides in pain, she felt all of the anxiety drain from her. She stood up, flicked back her hair and said, haughtily, "Yes, dah-ling, you are perfectly clear."

Ginny grinned and said, "Well it's about time! Let's go get some food already. I'm starving!"

After breakfast, Ginny sent Hermione to the shower with a large brown bottle, telling her to massage it into her scalp before she got out. As Hermione opened the bottle, she was surrounded by a delicious mixture of lavender, vanilla bean and cherry blossom. She recognized it immediately as the smell she associated with Ginny. When she got out of the shower she found Ginny sitting on her bed painting her toes.

"Where do you get this shampoo?" she asked.

"It isn't shampoo," Ginny said. "It's just a hair rinse that I make myself. Those are my three favorite scents. Luckily they blend nicely together." She reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her wand. She made a few complicated waves and soon her toes were dry. She pointed at the chair and told Hermione to sit. Then she handed her the bottle of "Sleek-Eazy" and had her start applying it to her roots while Ginny worked on her toes.

When she had finished with her toes, and Hermione had thoroughly saturated her hair, Ginny had her lean back with cucumber slices on her eyes while she buffed the nails on her hands and trimmed her cuticles.

Soon it was time to apply her make-up. Hermione sat stick straight in the chair while Ginny flicked and swished brushes filled with various shades of powder over her face. She was also assaulted with different colored pencils and glosses until she could hardly breathe.

"OK, now go get dressed while I finish _my_ hair and make-up, then I'll do _your_ hair."

Hermione walked slowly over to the bed where Ginny had laid out her dress. It looked flat and dull and she wondered how on earth it was going to look good on her.

"You aren't getting dressed!" Ginny called over her shoulder as she pinned her hair up in large swirls.

Hermione obediently reached out and picked up the dress that immediately went limp in her hand, the layers of thin fabric folding over itself. She struggled with it for a long time until she finally found the top and wiggled into it.

"It looks great!" Ginny said enthusiastically as she came up behind her and fastened the back. "Now let me get these shoes on you and we can go to work on that hair."

Hermione sat in the chair submissively once again as Ginny pulled and pinned and tugged on her hair. Every now and then she would curse under her breath and Hermione would receive another sharp yank, first one way and then another.

Just when Hermione thought she couldn't handle one more minute of it, Ginny suddenly stopped tugging on her hair and backed away from her.

"OK," said Ginny. "Let me look at the whole thing. Stand over there."

_Will this never end?_ Hermione thought miserably.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This was finished weeks ago, but I was waiting for my Beta to look at it. She seems to have disappeared so I'm going to go ahead and post it anyway…hopefully there aren't too many mistakes.

Eventually I'd like to take this into the Yule Ball, but I'm in the middle of a move (one of the reasons I want to post, so I won't forget).

Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me this far!!

X-X-X

Ginny narrowed her eyes and slowly circled Hermione three times, sweeping her critical gaze from the top of her head to the tip of her toes before at last pronouncing, in a triumphant manner, "Done!"

Hermione let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and said, "Good. Can we go now?"

"Go?!" Ginny spluttered. "Don't you want to see what you look like first?!"

Caught unaware, Hermione tried to recover by saying, "Well, yes, of course, uh, that's what I meant."

Irritated, Ginny levitated a hand mirror to hang backwards in front of Hermione's face. "Close your eyes," she said bossily. Hermione obliged, scared at what she would see. Ginny took a final, satisfied look at her creation, then turned the mirror around and whispered excitedly, "Okay, open them."

Hermione opened her eyes and gasped in a mixture of surprise and delight at the image reflected in front of her.

Wide, charcoal-lined eyes stared back at her, with wispy hints of smoky powder softening the edges. Lips that had once stretched thin across over-large teeth, now sat full and pouty, glistening with a coral-colored gloss. Her cheekbones, high and clearly defined, shimmered a shade darker than her lips. Her entire face seemed to glow. Her hair, flecked with gold highlights and now as sleek and shiny as the girl's down the hall, was pulled away from her face, fashioned in an elegant knot at the back of her head. It emphasized the length and shape of her slender neck perfectly.

"Ready to see the rest of you?" Ginny asked, positively beaming.

Hermione nodded wordlessly and Ginny flicked her wand to enlarge the mirror.

Standing in the mirror before her was a slim, graceful woman, encircled by an aura of periwinkle light. The skin of her neck and shoulders glittered under the candle light in the room. She grabbed the sides of her dress robes and spun, revealing matching shoes. Although they were flat (as she had not been able to master even pumps), they were encrusted with jewels and slinky straps that wrapped around delicate ankles.

"I'm.…" Hermione seemed unable to articulate what she saw.

"Gorgeous!" Ginny supplied happily.

Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears. She turned to Ginny, opening her mouth to speak.

"Wait!" Ginny cried. "_Impervius_!" She swept her wand over Hermione's entire body. "Okay, now you can cry, hug me, snog Krum (at this Hermione gasped once more) or whatever you want to do. I just didn't want you to get wrinkled or smudged. I can't believe I almost forgot."

Hermione grabbed Ginny in a hug. "Ginny, how on earth can I ever thank you? I never, in a million years, would have thought this was possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Ginny returned her hug. "Just have a good time," she said. She was silent for a moment before pulling back and looking Hermione in the eyes, adding quietly, "And show my rat of a brother exactly what he's missing."

Hermione blushed, but nodded her head.

Arm in arm the two left Ginny's room, walked down the stairwell and out the door of the Common Room. It was going to be a magical night.


End file.
